I currently have an e30 and an e34. I'm about to buy a used e90, but before I start seriously looking, I thought I'd come here and ask a few questions.

First off, are there any major issues with the 2007 328i's? Is there something in particular that I should be looking for, as far as something needing attention or fixing. For example, I know a lot of e34's had cooling issues. They also had the wheel wobble at 55MPH, etc, etc...

Second, what type of maintenance should I expect on one of these cars? Being that they're about 6-7 years old now. Is it going to be ridiculous, or are they pretty solid, even when they start nearing the 100k mark?

I test drove my first e90 yesterday and was immediately in love with it. It was a 328i, not even a 335i. I'm looking for something in the 2006-2008 range, so keep that in mind. Thanks in advance for your help! :thumbup:

///M-Furby

01-23-2013 11:17 AM

The 328i is a very solid car.

The only thing better then that is the e90 2006 330xi which might be on sale to the right buyer :)

Things to look for:
Oil Change History. At least every 15,000 miles or 1 year. If a person does it more frequently then great
Battery - was it changed...if not it will be.
What are the brakes (discs/pads) like
What are the tires like
Did it receive any other fluid change (not really necessary). Some people say you should change the trans fluid, some people say not to. Ask for this discussion if you want to see a thread get hijacked
Also ask for the entire service history. If they changed a component on the car, that is a good thing, and you should know about it. For example, I just had some work done on my car (expensive maintenance). i will disclose that because the future owner will know they are receiving some brand new components.

Other then that, I don't got much else.

Maccally

01-23-2013 12:05 PM

Thanks for the reply! I'm looking for a RWD model, thanks for the mention though, haha. I was very surprised at how the non-sport 328i handled. It was very controlled and took corners amazingly well. I'm test driving a sport trim 328i tonight, so we'll see how that goes. Do you think this looks like a decent deal? It has 85000 miles on it. http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/cto/3559698065.html

///M-Furby

01-23-2013 12:15 PM

You got CPO until Sept which is great. Doubt you will exceed 15,000 miles before then, but close enough.
Was this car in any accidents? Do you have someone who can take a look at it? Have the owner give you the service history.
Other then that I think the car is great.
Don't knock the X-drive..0-60 beats the non-x-drive :D

Maccally

01-23-2013 12:27 PM

He tells me it hasn't been in any, but I don't know for sure yet. I'm going to run a CarFax on it tonight while I'm looking at it (iPhone app lol). I don't really have someone to look at it right now, but I'm sure I could just take it to the dealer and have them give it a once over.

Hahaha, I'm sure your ride is VERY nice and quite fast.

Maccally

01-23-2013 12:40 PM

Oh, and he says it's always been serviced at the same dealership here in town, so they have the records.

///M-Furby

01-23-2013 01:13 PM

1) Carfax - I believe it costs money to run it. He should run it since if he doesn't sell to you he can have it for someone else. It's silly to have the perspective buyer buy one
2) He needs to get you the dealership service records. They won't give that to you.

Contact him and nicely ask him to get it. He may not want to shell out the money for carfax (not expensive) but it doesn't make sense for each perspective buyer to get one. I can't imagine he would try to argue that logic, but if he does, then tell him it would cost him a sale. There are plenty of these cars around, and your money is good anywhere :)

Maccally

01-23-2013 01:19 PM

1 - I actually have enough reports from my dad, who recently was shopping for a vehicle. So I'll just use that. Good idea though!
2 - Good to know, I'll let him know I'll need those.

I really appreciate your help and time! I can't wait to join the e90 club :) haha

ctuna

01-23-2013 01:53 PM

Two design flaws

Two design flaws

1) valve ticking
2) Head and valve cover bolt breakage
They are aluminum they have to be because of the magnesium used
in the block.

There are entire threads on this.

Irritations
Run Flat tires you don't get a spare(and they don't last long give a harsh ride and are twice as expensive.)
Battery registration and these cars are kind
of battery hogs.
No real dipstick the electronic one is Ok but
kind of quirky

Lifetime Fluid policy and extended oil change intervals.

There are major threads on all these topics.

Maccally

01-23-2013 01:58 PM

I had an Eclipse that had a lifter tick... So I know what to look for there, haha. Is there any type of sign that a bolt or something is getting weak, or does it just suddenly happen?

I am okay with the RFT's, no issues there.
What do you mean by battery registration?

///M-Furby

01-23-2013 03:17 PM

When you change the battery you have to register the new one with the computer. If you don't then your car will turn on, and you will drive, but your dashboard and radio will be off. You can register the battery at BMW or an indy shop that has the device to do it. It takes them a few minutes to do it (really just a few minutes). It's a scam in my opinion, but you gotta do it (speaking from experience).
Given that, my battery was replaced 1.5 years ago...it's a 2006.

ctuna

01-23-2013 06:37 PM

The trouble with the lifter tick is

After changing lifters and the whole head with a redesigned one
some have reported its still not fixed.

Dealers typically charge between 300 and up to 700 to change a replace a battery and register it.
If you don't do a lot of driving or leave the car set for extended periods you are advised to get
a battery tender.

cruisingbimmer

01-23-2013 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maccally
(Post 7332269)

I currently have an e30 and an e34. I'm about to buy a used e90, but before I start seriously looking, I thought I'd come here and ask a few questions.

First off, are there any major issues with the 2007 328i's? Is there something in particular that I should be looking for, as far as something needing attention or fixing. For example, I know a lot of e34's had cooling issues. They also had the wheel wobble at 55MPH, etc, etc...

Second, what type of maintenance should I expect on one of these cars? Being that they're about 6-7 years old now. Is it going to be ridiculous, or are they pretty solid, even when they start nearing the 100k mark?

I test drove my first e90 yesterday and was immediately in love with it. It was a 328i, not even a 335i. I'm looking for something in the 2006-2008 range, so keep that in mind. Thanks in advance for your help! :thumbup:

I recently bought my 2007 328i, and I can see how you were immediately in love with it. When I test drove mine at the dealership, it was basically love at first drive! Mine had 79,500 miles on it at purchase, and I paid 15k before taxes. They wanted 17,500 after taxes, but I was able to negotiate and get them to knock a grand off the base price for minor hail damage on the hood and just the simple fact that it had higher mileage on it than you'd expect of a driver who typically averaged 15,000 miles a year. As far as maintenance, I haven't had any major issues at all mechanically. I recently got my front bumper repaired because I cracked it on a curb when backing out of a parking lot (my fault, obviously, and I still am haunted by the day it happened :bawling:) and the maintenance was a bit pricey for them to remove the bumper, repair the crack, and re-paint it ($700), but it would have been more if I'd gotten a brand new bumper... but those kinds of prices are expected when owning a BMW, so I couldn't really gripe about it for too long. Anyway, I have no knowledge of typical issues with the E90, and from what I hear from other owners they are very reliable even when the mileage is up there. I'm sure there are a few minor issues here and there though, that other posters have already described. Just wanted to throw my two cents in since I'm a proud 2007 328i owner who loves this car. Good luck with your purchase, and if you go forward with it, you're not going to regret it. :thumbup:

M3Dreamer

01-23-2013 08:46 PM

I bought my CPO e90 with about 30K on the odo 2 years ago. I was instantly in love and that love has only gotten deeper. The 6MT on my 328i is one of the best I've ever driven and this car just feel like a BMW: It has reasonable power (no thread drift here people please!), great steering and brakes and just communicates a taught ride. It's not a race car, but it exudes BMW to me. No iDrive, no turbos, no BS... just that sweet I-6 motor, a 6MT transmission, sport package and me.... oh and the run flats got dumped ASAP:rofl:

HKD

01-23-2013 09:41 PM

I walked into a dealer and asked for Titan Silver with corral red prem nav sport iPod adapter 6mt. It was #3 on the inventory list still getting prepped as a cpo. How could I not get it? Had 29k, now At 76k no problems. Just regular scheduled maintenance brakes and new tires. Change oil every 7.5k. I love my 335i coupe but selling it. Ordered the last e92 335i before they go Eco friendly with elect steering which was horrendous. You could probably turn the wheel with a finger. Anyone looking for a 6mt coupe ?

Battery was new(er), the tires were very close to new, everything was IMMACULATE. He actually offered me his CarFax, but I told him I already had paid and I could just pull it up on my phone real quick. It was also perfect... It says to offer him 950ish more than the book value, so yeah. I think it's a great deal, and probably will call him this morning to let him know I'll take it. He did tell me he'd get me the service records too, though CarFax had a decent amount. He had his oil changed on time, every time. No lifter tick, which is great. Thanks again guys for all your help!

deanpeterson

01-26-2013 11:43 AM

Any update? Did you buy it? How much was the price roughly? and is it MT or AT?

Maccally

01-29-2013 08:05 PM

Sorry for the delay. I actually ended up not getting that one. I found another that was even better. 68K miles, everything checked out with my mechanic, and it was only $13,000. Not bad if you ask me. Here she is: http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/2...oto21small.png

I am so happy with the car. I have zero complaints! I'm a proud e90 owner for sure.